Sadness alert: Susanna Clark dies

Songwriter and artist Susanna Clark died in her sleep Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. She was 73. Born in Atlanta, TX, Clark was probably best known as an artist for one of her paintings, which became the cover image for Willie Nelson’s legendary “Stardust” album. She also co-wrote “Easy From Now On,” one of Emmylou Harris’ better known songs.

Clark was also well-known as the longtime wife and companion of legendary songwriter Guy Clark, who hailed from Rockport and lived and worked for years in Houston. In addition to his creative foil she served as a muse and sometimes character in his songs, most famously “L.A. Freeway,” which documented their flight from Los Angeles, which ultimately landed them in Nashville in the early 1970s where their home became a hub for songwriting masters like Clark and Townes Van Zandt and students like Rodney Crowell and Steve Earle.
Susanna Clark also appeared in and inspired lines in songs like “My Favorite Picture of You” and “Stuff That Works,” in which Clark wrote:

“I got a woman I love
She’s crazy and paints like God
She’s got a playground sense of justice
she won’t take odds
I got a tattoo with her name
right through my soul
I think everything she touches
turns to gold”